Fire-escape.



PATENTBD SEPT. 27, 1904 J. IRON. FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19. 1904.

I I Inventor:

0727M Irim/ .5 his uqtfiorrmy Patented September 27, 1904.

JOHN IRON, OF DOVER, ENGLAND.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 770,808, datedSeptember 27, 1904. Application filed February 19, 1904. Serial No.194,460. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN IRON, a subject of the King of England,residing at Dover, in the county of Kent, England, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Fire- Escapes, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to improvements in fire-escapes, and particularlyto that class of fire-escapes in which a receptacle is lowered from awindow by means of a rope and pulley.

The object of my invention is to construct a receptacle of flexiblematerial, so that it may be stored away in a very small space when notin use.

A further object of my invention is to provide a hood to protect theoccupant when descending from flames emerging from the lower windows ofthe burning building.

A still further object is to construct said hood so that it may be usedas a shield to cut off the view of the ground when the receptacle isbeing used by a timid person.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an attachment bywhich the free end of the rope may be held so that the receptacle willdescend at any desired speed and also by which the receptacle may belowered at an oblique angle from the building by persons operating thesame from the ground.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of the window,showing my improved fire-escape attached thereto. Fig. 2 is aperspective view of the receptacle, showing the hood used as a shield.Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view on line 2 2, Fig. 2. Fig.4 is a side view showing the attachment for the rope supporting thereceptacle. Fig. 5 is a view of the receptacle, showing the hoodarranged in a different manner and covering the top of the receptacle.

In the drawings,A represents the receptacle, having a rigid base B and aring C at the top for holding the mouth of the receptacle open. The saidring and base are elongated, so that the receptacle will have a flatside to rest against the window-sill, as shown in Fig. 1. The base B andthe ringCare supported from a stretcher D by means of ropes E. At theside of the receptacle are ropes F, as shown 'dow.

in Figs. 2 and. 3, which are provided to connect the base B and the ringC. A canvas covering G is placed around the base and ring and completesthe receptacle. Attached to the ring C is a canvas hood H, shown out ofuse and hanging over the receptacle in Fig. 1, and in Figs. 2 and 3 saidhood H is shown drawn up to the stretcher D and held by the same bymeans of hooks it, carried by said hood and adapted to enter eyes (Z onthe ends of the stretcher D. When the hood is in the position shown inFig. 2, it will form a screen, so that a timid person cannot see theground when getting in the receptacle from the win- The hood H may alsobe used to cover the occupant of the receptacle, when descending, fromthe flames emerging from lower windows.

Connected to the stretcher D by means of a shackle I is a link J havingan eye j, to which is secured the rope K, which supports the receptacle.An elongated opening j is formed in said link, through which the freeend of the rope K is run after it has been passed around the pulley L,as shown in Fig. 1. On either side of the link J are formed hooks 7'over which the free end of the rope K may be drawn to form a brake toprevent the receptacle descending too rapidly when operated by a personin said receptacle. By having the free end of the rope running throughthe eye 7" in the link J the receptacle can be lowered at an obliqueangle to the building by persons on the ground holding the other end ofthe rope at an angle, as shown in Fig. 1, which will allow thereceptacle to be swung out from the building and avoid the samedescending through the flames from the windows below.

The pulley L is held by a chain M, having hooks n, which are secured ineyes N in the wall of the building. A bar may be placed across theinside of the window to support the pulley in place of the chain when sodesired. A guide-rope P is attached to the base B of the receptacle, sothat said receptacle may be guided and prevented from swaying by theperson on the ground.

The flexible covering forming the receptacle and the ropes are intendedto be covered or chemically treated, so as to render them fireproof. v

Having thus described my invention I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1. The combination of a rigid base, a ring, a flexiblecovering between the same forming a receptacle, a stretcher having aneye at either end. ropes supported by said stretcher and carrying saidring and said base, a hood above said ring and hooks attached to saidhood adapted to enter said eyes on the end of said stretcher,substantially as described.

2. The combination in a fire-escape, of a receptacle, a rope by whichsaid receptacle is raised or lowered, a solid metal link having anaperture in its upper portion for attaching JOHN IRON.

Witnesses:

SYDENHAM PAYN, S. ARMSTRONG PAYN.

